Streaming costs are soaring — How much more are you paying now?

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Apple TV menu displayed on a tv screen is seen seen in this illustration photo taken in Norway on January 11, 2025. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The cost of keeping up with today’s most popular streaming and digital services has surged in recent years, according to a recent study. 

By the numbers:

Subscribing to 15 popular streaming and digital services now costs $237 a month — a 49% increase since 2020 — with Disney+ seeing the largest price jump, according to an analysis by LendingTree’s DepositAccounts.

• The combined monthly cost of 15 popular subscriptions — including Netflix, Spotify and Zoom Pro — has climbed to $237, a 49% increase from $159 in 2020. After adjusting for inflation, that’s still a 19% rise from $199.
• Disney+ posted the sharpest increase, with its ad-free plan jumping 171.7% from $6.99 to $18.99 between 2020 and 2026. Apple TV’s standard plan rose 160.3%, while Xbox Game Pass Ultimate increased 100.1%.
• The average American now holds 4.5 digital subscriptions and spends $84 per month, or about $1,008 annually. Millennials (5.2 subscriptions) and Gen Z (5.0) carry the most and spend the most per month at $100 and $94, respectively.
• Rising costs are prompting cutbacks: 37% of Americans have canceled at least one paid subscription in the past six months, and another 13% are considering doing so. Nearly half (45%) say they believe they overspend on subscriptions.

Methodology:

To measure how the cost of digital subscriptions has changed, DepositAccounts by LendingTree created a representative bundle of 15 widely used paid services across streaming video and music, news, cloud storage, productivity software, gaming and work tools — including Netflix, Disney+, Spotify, Microsoft 365 and Zoom Pro. 

Researchers collected each service’s regular individual plan price as of Jan. 1, 2020, and Jan. 1, 2026, using official company pricing pages, announcements and contemporaneous news reports. 

In addition, DepositAccounts commissioned QuestionPro to survey 2,000 U.S. adults ages 18 to 80 from Jan. 14 to 17, 2026, using a nonprobability-based sample with demographic quotas to reflect the broader population. Generations were defined as Gen Z (18–29), millennials (30–45), Gen X (46–61) and baby boomers (62–80).

How you can save on streaming costs

What you can do:

• Audit your subscriptions. Nearly 8 in 10 subscribers use at least one strategy to cut costs, starting with reviewing bank or credit card statements to identify recurring charges. Rank services by necessity and cancel those you can live without — the fastest way to lower your monthly bill.
• Switch to annual billing. Many platforms offer discounted rates for paying upfront. More than a quarter of subscribers opt for annual plans, a strategy especially popular among baby boomers, parents with young children and higher-income households.
• Trigger retention offers. Some companies present discounted renewal rates when users attempt to cancel. About 22% of subscribers report using this tactic, particularly younger consumers.
• Downgrade your plan. Moving to a lower-tier option — such as an ad-supported plan — can preserve access while trimming costs. This approach is common among Gen Z, millennials and parents of young kids.
• Hunt for bundles and promotions. The most widely used savings strategy, cited by 28% of subscribers, involves signing up for bundled services or taking advantage of limited-time discounts during major sales events like Black Friday.